Photo Tip Tuesday – Photographing Bald Subjects

Bald people can pose a bit of lighting difficulty for photographers due to the shine that can come off the skin in the studio. Below are 5 tips to help you photograph follicly-challenged subjects.

Use anti-glare or deshine powder to avoid head glare

Get some anti-glare powder for the skin to help remove unwanted highlights from the shot. It’s very easy with sweat or moisture for these bright spots to appear, especially under the warm lights of a studio.

Check the head exposure

Use peaking (also called zebra) on your camera to check for overexposed areas. They can be easy to miss and when you begin your edits, there might be blown out areas that you didn’t spot before.

Lower your key light

Lowering the key light (the main source of light in a photograph) will reduce the glare off the top of a bald head and ensure it is hitting the front of the face to decrease highlights.

Reduce (or remove) hair lights

Hair lights (or rim lights) will create bright streaks on the top of the head. The best options are to completely eliminate them or reduce them to a very low light.

Consider background lights

A background light can replace a rim or hair light, but the main consideration is the background color. Try to avoid using bright backgrounds for those with light skin and avoid using darker backgrounds for those with dark skin. This adds separation between the face and background.